Only three Englishman have won the FA Cup since 1991, while McClaren was the last to win the League Cup nine years ago.

Uphill struggle

The reputation of the country's coaches has dipped dramatically from the glory years of the late 1970s and early 1980s when Bob Paisley led Liverpool to three European Cups and Brian Clough worked wonders by winning the competition twice with Nottingham Forest.

Not since Joe Fagan led Liverpool to victory over Roma in 1984 has an English manager won Europe's top title.

The 29-year wait shows little sign of ending anytime soon; of the four Englishmen in charge of EPL clubs, none are competing for top honors.

Brian McDermott of Reading and QPR's Harry Redknapp are battling against relegation, while Alan Pardew's Newcastle and Sam Allardyce's West Ham are hovering just above the bottom three.

It was Allardyce who famously claimed he would never manage a big-four club, telling reporters: "The tongue-in-cheek answer is because I'm not called Allardici, just Allardyce."

Only recently, Southampton manager Nigel Adkins lost his job after leading the club from the third tier into the Premier League in consecutive seasons. He was replaced by Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Adkins' dismissal was met with disdain by the majority of those in football after he had led his side away from the relegation zone with a run of just two defeats in 12 games.

All this despite Chelsea's Gary Cahill telling CNN that there are huge benefits from working with an English coach.

"I think the coaches know the Premier League inside out and I think that's beneficial for English players, they know how they can get the best out of them," the England defender said.

But McClaren maintains that English managers face an uphill struggle to establish themselves in the Premier League.

"Over the past five years the game has changed dramatically in terms of infrastructure," he said. "You've got multi-billionaire owners coming in who can get the best.

"Unfortunately, they're looking abroad for that and for people who have won European trophies.

"They want people who have won leagues in Europe and have a background in winning. Unfortunately, our coaches and managers haven't got the pedigree of winning things."

Following his ill-fated two-year reign which was brought to an ignominious end when England failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship, McClaren felt he had no option but to leave the country.

Surviving the job

The constant media intrusion and the vilification of his character left his reputation in tatters, leaving him virtually untouchable for Premier League clubs.

Instead, he headed to Holland with FC Twente where he has once again begun to rebuild his career, courtesy of a Dutch league title triumph in 2010.

Brief spells at Wolfsburg in Germany and Nottingham Forest in England's second division followed before he returned to Twente. He departed after the club dropped to fifth in the Eredivisie, having been up near the leaders for most of this season.

"I went abroad with opportunity to expand my experience and knowledge and it has been fantastic," McClaren said.

"Also, it's an opportunity to take over a top team which could win something and also play in Europe.

"I think what really improves coaches and managers is playing in Europe. That's where you really do learn. I've been very fortunate. I did it with Middlesbrough and I was fortunate to come to Twente, win the league and get to play in Europe.

"I believe that also gets you recognition and puts you on the map. It also improves you greatly in playing against European opponents.

"Our English coaches are not exposed to that so coming abroad may be an opportunity for English coaches and managers to experience a club which is challenging at the top and also playing in Europe. That is how you can get your reputation."